Safe
by mo3jw
Summary: 6 years ago, they took his soul mate away. Now Jake is going to find out the truth, and he will do whatever it takes to keep her safe.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue:

Walking away from Renesmee was the hardest thing I'd ever done before. Edward was right though, I needed to check in with the pack...and my father. I had stayed at the Cullen's house for four days after Nessie's birth. I had seen my best friend, with her new red eyes and stone cold skin. Bella was okay, Nessie was safe with her family, I could leave for a little bit, run to LaPush and be back by sundown. I turned around once I was in the big back yard and looked at the small baby cradled in Bella's arms. She was waving a pudgy hand at me, opening and closing it quickly. I blew her a quick kiss and waved to Bells before I phased and headed home.

I was back in LaPush in no time, running faster than I ever had. I wanted to get this over with, get back to Nessie, but my dad had other plans. He wanted to know everything that had happened. We sat in the small living room of our even smaller house, I told him how beautiful Ness was, how perfect she was, how smart she was. He gave me his wide grin, his eyes almost smooshed closed. "I'm glad you're happy son...you deserve it."

Only a short while later, after speaking with Sam and the packs, I was heading back to the Cullen's. The sun was dipping below the trees to the west. As I got closer, I began to panick, I couldn't hear anything. I quickly approached the main house, it was dark and empty. Large steel shutters covered the windows and doors. I turned abruptly and ran towards the small cottage that Esme had built for Edward and Bella. I found it empty as well. I opened the small front door and entered. There was a small fire burning in the fireplace, on a small table in the corner was an envelope, propped against a lamp. _Jacob_ was written on the front. My feet felt like anchors as I made my way to the table. With shaking hands I picked up the envelope and opened it.

_Jacob-_

_ Alice had a vision. Renesmee is in danger. We must leave now, to keep her safe. When the time is right, we will be back. Please don't come after us, this is how it must be right now. I'm truly sorry for doing this to you, but my daughters safety must come first. Bella is upset right now, otherwise she would be writing this. Please honor my wishes and wait for us to return. _

_ -Edward_

The letter drifted slowly to the floor, my fingers could no longer hold onto it. She was gone, my entire reason for living...gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1: Broken

_**I wanted you to know I love the way you laugh**_

_**I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away**_

_**I keep your photograph, I know it serves me well**_

_**I wanna hold you high and steal your pain**_

_**'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome**_

_**And I don't feel right when you're gone away. **_

_**"Broken" by Seether**_

I stared at the small picture in my hand. It was taken two days after Nessie was born. I was holding her in my lap, sitting on the large white sofa in Esme's living room. Her beautiful bronze hair was a fiery halo around her angelic face, she was smiling widely at Rosalie who was taking the picture. Her small hand on my cheek, trying to push my face towards the camera, but I couldn't take my eyes off of her. The picture spoke volumes. The adoration that I felt for her was evident. I wondered briefly how much she had changed since that day. Quickly though, I pushed the thoughts from my mind and slipped the picture back into it's frame on my night stand. When I had first lost her, I had kept track of the hours, but soon the hours had turned into days, the days into weeks, the weeks into years. I had gone from counting minutes, to weeks, now I was onto months. I was on month 72 now, 6 long years. No word from the Cullen's. No phone call, no letter, nothing, they had simply erased me from their lives. I wasn't the only one though, there had been no communication with Charlie either. I couldn't imagine Bella doing that to her own father, to be honest I couldn't imagine her doing it to me either. She was my best friend. She hadn't been thrilled when she found out that I had impritned on her daughter, but she didn't seem so angry to run away and never speak to me again. As I usually did, I blamed Edward. He had stooped to a new low by doing this. For the first few months, I had listened to him, stayed in LaPush, fighting the urge to go and find her. After 68 days of sitting around doing nothing, after 68 days of waiting for word from the Cullens and getting nothing, I simply got up and began searching for her. Leah and Seth joined me, we searched the entire western coast, Alaska down to South America, then the eastern seaboard, Maine to Florida, we searched 49 of the 50 states, and even Canada, but we found nothing, not a single trail to follow. I could still feel the pull of the imprint, but it wasn't strong enough to follow. Our bond, though it had been forged, hadn't had the time to grow that strong. Normally and imprintee could find his imprint quite easily, by following the pull. Nessie and I had only had 4 days together. In order to intinsify the bond, both imprint and imprintee had to have a strong bond with each other. Nessie probably didn't even remember me anymore. I doubt they had ever told her about me, I was probably nothing more than a faint memory, if even that.

After 2 years of searching, we had returned home. I resigned myself to the fact that I may never find her, I fooled myself into thinking that perhaps Edward would bring her back someday. So, I resumed my normal routine. I finished school, opened my shop, ran patrols...but it all felt empty with out her. Embry had tried, time and time again to get me to move on without her. I had, time and time again, refused him. I couldn't see myself with anyone that way, not even Nessie, who was just a little girl. Tonight though, was my 22nd birthday, and I had finally just agreed to a blind date to get him to shut up. I pulled the blue polo shirt over my head and ran my fingers through my hair, _good as it gets. _I headed out the front door, throwing my dad a wave over my shoulder. I climbed into my truck and headed to Embrys, feeling slightly queasy the entire time.

I pulled up to Embry's house a few minutes later, parking behind a little red convertible. I shook my head, trying not to picture the bimbo that drove it. Embry had a specific type: blonde, dumb and easy. There was no way this night was going to turn out well. I took a deep breath and got out, walking slowly up to the door. Before I could knock Embry opened the door.

"How's it goin man?" he asked as I walked past him into the house.

"Not bad" I muttered. He put his hand on my shoulder, holding me back.

"Dude, just try and have fun, Kiki is a great girl, loosen up for one night okay man?" he said.

"Kiki?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"Jake, man..she's hot!" I shook my head at him and followed him into the living room. There were 2 bleached blondes sitting on his couch. Neither were remarkable at all. I suppose to a normal man they would have been attractive, but I could tell they were both dumb as dirt.

"Jake this is Cindi" he said pointing to the girl on the right. Her hair was strait, pulled back into a high pony tail, she had green eyes, that may have been pretty if it weren't for the ridiculous amount of eyeshadow she had on. She was wearing an extremely low cut green shirt and blue jeans that appeared to have been shrink wrapped onto her body. "And this is Kiki". I turned my attention to my "date" for the night, I had to keep myself from groaning out loud. She had the same bottle blonde hair as Cindi, only hers was ridiculousy curly and hung down just past her shoulders. Her eyes were icy blue, I could tell she was wearing colored contacts. She stood up and walked towards me, eyeing me up and down. She rested her hands on my arms, I took notice of her long, fake, red fingernails. "It's so good to meet you Jakie" she cooed. _I think I just vomited a little in my mouth. _Her voice reminded me of fingerails on a chalk board. I glared over her head at Embry, he just winked at me and nodded.

"So we ready to go?" Embry asked. I couldn't wait to get away from these girls and beat the shit out of him. Kiki grabbed my hand and hauled me towards the door, I noticed her outfit for the first time, the same too tight jeans as Cindy, but she was wearing a blood red halter top that was too short and too tight. Her tits were fake too, trust me, enough of them were hanging out of her top, I could tell.

"Um, Em...can I talk to you a second?" I asked as we stepped onto the porch. The girls giggled and walked off towards his car. I turned to see him grinning at me.

"What the fuck Embry!" I said. "I agreed to a blind date, not to going out with a fucking prostitute!"

"She's not a prostitute Jake! She's Cindi's best friend. She's a massage therapist dude! Do you have any idea how good they are with their hands?" He slapped me on the back smiling. "No more moping, just go out and get laid, I promise you'll feel better." He darted off to his car then, not giving me time to say anyting else.

_Massage therapist! What the fuck have I gotten myself into._

A few hours later, it was obvious what had I gotten myself into. We were at a club in Port Angeles, everyone was drunk...except me. Everyone was having fun...except me. I had tried, I really had. I was doing my best to loosen up and try and have a good time, but I couldn't do it. Every time the sluts hands would touch me I would almost puke. It was totally involuntary. I literally had a physical reaction to the girl, but not in a good way. I personally would have been thrilled to get a hard on at this point. I hadn't had one in over 6 years, and that one had been over Bella. Nothing I did was helping though, I wasn't capable of having fun with the blonde heyena throwing herself at me time and time again. All I could think about was Renesmee. Was she safe? Was she happy? Where was she? When would I see her again? I knew then and there, that this wasn't going to happen. I couldn't just go out, have fun and forget all about her. It was no use, this was my life now. She was my life now. She would always be my life. No girl, no matter how skanky was going to get my attention. I would be a monk from now on. I would just have to live with that. I hadn't realized until then, just how broken I was. I left shortly after, much to the dismay of Embry and Kiki. Poor girl honestly thought I was into her I guess. I went straight home and straight to bed. Tomorrow I would go back to being just Jake, I would go back to my life, my empty life, but I would make the best of it.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2: Stronger

**Woke up late today and I still feel the sting of the pain**

**But I brushed my teeth anyway**

**I got dressed through the mess and put a smile on my face**

**I got a little bit stronger**

**Riding in the car to work and I'm trying to ignore the hurt**

**So I turned on the radio, stupid song made me think of you**

**I listened to it for a minute but I changed it**

**I'm getting a little bit stronger, just a little bit stronger**

**"A little bit Stronger" Sara Evans**

Ten years, ten long, hard years, had gone by since they took Nessie away. Most days I was okay, I could go on with my life somewhat normally. I went to work, joked with my friends, ran patrols, killed vampires, ate supper with my dad, normal things...normal but still empty. After my disasterous 22nd birthday I decided to simply live my life. Take it or leave it. Fate, Karma, Life...none of them had ever been kind to me really, it was just the way it was for me. There was still a part of me that wanted to stay in bed all day and just waste away and die. Lock myself away from my friends and family and let the darkness take me, but I was good at fighting that side. Dying wouldn't be good for anyone. My dad would be devastated, my pack would be left without a leader...and Ness, my Ness...she would be alone in the world. I couldn't do that to any of them. I still clung to the hope that someday she would come back to me, but I didn't dwell on that hope. I couldn't handle any more disappointment. So I got up everyday, put my pants on one leg at a time and made it through the days as best as I could.

Sam had stopped phasing a few years ago, he wanted to grow old with Emily. I was now the only Alpha in LaPush. There hadn't been any new wolves since the Cullen's left. Seth, Leah, Embry, Quill, Colin, Brady, Paul and I were it. We found rogue vamps every once in a while, but for the most part it was quiet. Leah had imprinted around the time Sam quit, she was married and living on the reservation with her husband Nick. She found out she was pregnat 3 months ago and we were all excited for her. At least she had found happiness. Quill was fighting the constant attempts at seduction that his 12 year old imprint Claire was throwing at him every chance she got. It was quite amusing to watch, but deep down I wished it were me. Ness would be 10 now, I could only imagine how beautiful she would be. What I wouldn't give for just one glimpse at her, or a picture at least. But I had none of that, just a memory of a tiny baby that held my heart and soul in her hands, and a worn picture taken when she was less than a week old. I wondered about her all the time. Did she remember me? Did she feel incomplete like I did? I hated the thought of her feeling that way. I hated Edward for doing this to us. My blood would literally boil when I thought of him. I simply refused to think of Bella, I didn't want to hate my best friend. Edward must have forced her to do this, it was the only explanation that made sense to me. Bella would never hurt me like this, she would never hurt Charlie like she had. I couldn't imagine any of the Cullen's doing this to Nessie. Even blondie wasn't this cold hearted...was she?

Charlie had passed away last spring. A sudden heart attack at work. All of us were surprised when there was no word from Bella. That brought a new panic to me...what if they were all dead? Renesmee too? But I could still feel the pull, she at least was alive. We had laid Charlie to rest and said our goodbyes. My father took it very hard, he had lost his closest friend. Me and my sister were really all he had left. Rebecca never called or visited. I couldn't even tell you how long it had been since I'd heard from her.

So here I was, halfway through my 10th year with out Nessie. I was taking a trip soon, going somewhere far away from LaPush, I needed to get away, clear my head, do something crazy for once, that's what I told everyone anyway. I doubted I was fooling any of them, I did this a couple of times a year, went away for a few months at a time, I didn't need to tell them I was searching for Renesmee, I'm sure they already knew. I never spoke of her around them anymore. My memories and thoughts of her were only for me. I had gotten good at hiding my thoughts from the pack when were phased. It wasn't going to help anyone to know that I still pined for her on a daily basis. They thought I had moved on to a healthier place...I was sure that some of them knew the truth though. While on the outside I seemed to be doing better, on the inside I was still shattered. I could put on a brave face now at least. I could even laugh now, sometimes I didn't even force it. I could go hours at a time, being the normal happy go lucky Jake they all knew, but as soon as I was alone, the darkness, the pain, would creep back up on me and threaten to swallow me whole. All in all, I was better than I had been, but there would be no fixing this. I would be broken for the rest of my life. Strong, but broken.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3: That Smell

**Ooh, ooh that smell**

**Can't you smell that smell?**

**Ooh, ooh that smell**

**The smell of death surrounds you.**

**"That Smell" Lynyrd Skynyrd**

I was just swinging by the old Cullen house on my way out of town. I had no idea wich direction I would choose this time, I never really thought much about it, I just went on instinct. I made my way slowy through the dark forest towards the big white house. A house that I usually stayed away from as much as possible, but tonight was different, I _needed_ to go there...for some reason. As soon as I was close, I understood why. _Leech!_ The smell burned my nose, making the hairs on my body bristle and stand up.

_"Boss..you need any back up?" _Seth asked. He was back in LaPush on patrol tonight, acting as Alpha while I was away.

"_Smells like just one, I can handle it." _

_"Got it boss. Be safe." _

I slipped soundlessly into the back yard, just inside the tree line. The vampire was walking around on the front porch. I had hoped it would be one of the Cullen's, but I didn't recognize the scent.

_"What's he doing there?" _Seth asked.

_"No idea, the vampire stench was gone from this place a long time ago, maybe he knows the Cullen's?" _

_"Are you going to ask him?" _I growled inwardly at him. _"NO! He's a fucking blood sucker! I have nothing to say to him!" _

_"What if he knows where they are?" _Seth asked in a small voice. I honestly hadn't thought of that. I sat there, contemplating for a few moments, until the vampire was in my line of sight. He was almost as tall as me, with short blonde hair and crimson eyes.

_"Maybe I should follow him?" _

_"Not by yourself boss! Let me get a couple of the guys to flank you!" _he pleaded. He was right. It would be stupid to follow him alone, it could be a trap for all I knew. _"Get Embry and head this way" _I ordered. I watched the vampire snoop around the house, then he turned towards the river and went towards the little cottage in the woods. I stayed a fair distance behind him, being silent. I stopped behind a tall fir tree, watching as he made his way into the cottage. Embry and Seth showed up on my flanks and sat back, watching as well. I could hear the vampire inside, walking around. A few minutes later he stepped outside and pulled out a cell phone. I could hear it ringing and then there was an answer. _EDWARD! _I growled.

"I have her scent. I'll start tracking her now. I'll call when I have information." The vampire said.

"Thank you Felix." Edward said, then hung up quickly.

_"What's going on boss?" _Seth asked.

"_No clue! Who could he be tracking?" _I answered.

_"It would have to be Bella or Renesmee, he got the scent from the cottage, those are the only 2 female scents in there right?" _Embry asked.

My blood had begun to boil. Were Edward and Bella not together anymore? Had something happened to Nessie? My insides were turned upside down and spinning right now. The vampire looked deep into the forest, suddenly he took off toward the north.

_"We follow him!" _I ordered _"But stay back!"_


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I got the chapter numbers all mixed up, but I fixed it...sorry if there was any confusion!

Chapter 5: Tracking

For 3 days we tracked Felix. He took us North, then back East, then South, then back up North. We still didn't know who he was tracking. It was obviously not easy for him, we watched him grow frustrated, then angry, then down right psychotic. He finally called Edward back on the third day.

"I've still got nothing. I don't think she's in this part of the country. I haven't pick up even the faintest trail. Are you sure she's somewhere up here?" He asked.

"I've got the East coast covered, South America is taken care of, and of course Aro and Caius are searching Europe. She has to be there somewhere."

Felix had sighed heavily, which I found funny considering he didn't even need to breath.

"Fine Edward, I'll keep looking. I'll call you back in 3 days." then he'd hung up on him.

_"This is crazy boss! We should just ask him who he's looking for!" _Seth said.

_"Can't risk it Seth, we need him to lead us to whoever he's tracking, it could be my only chance." _

_"Don't worry Jake, we'll find her this time, I've got a good feeling about it!" _Embry said.

That night we followed Felix up into Southern Alaska. He was back and forth a lot, not covering much ground at all. I decided we should split up, search for ourselves. Felix was looking for either Bella or Ness, we all remembered Bella's scent, and I would know Ness's if they caught it.

_"I'll follow him." _I said. _"You two split up, you'll know if he leaves the state." _They took off in opposite directions. The next 3 days were spent in Alaska, I was smack dab in the middle of the state, while Seth was in the East and Embry was on the Western Coast. There was another phone call to Edward.

"This is ridiculous Edward. I can't find her, she's being shielded!" Felix screamed into the phone.

"I know that Felix! I'm trying to take care of it!"

"I can't keep walking around forever, hoping to get lucky! For all you know I'm not even on the right continent!"

"Felix" Edward said quietly. "We had a deal. You will find her and bring her back to me!" His voice seemed to drip with venom. I'd never heard Edward sound so...evil.

"I'm trying!" Felix roared into the phone.

"Try harder Felix! Find her!" then I heard the phone slamming down. Eddie boy was pissed. Maybe Bella finally woke up and realized he's an ass! That would piss him off for sure.

Felix was pacing now, all kinds of worked up. "Fuck!" he screamed, then he took off to the north...and I followed.

By 2am we were running through a blizzard. I wasn't sure how far north we actually were, but there couldn't be much further to go before we ran out of land. Seth and Embry had checked in earlier in the day, they had found nothing. I had sent them back to LaPush, there was nothing and noone up here. Felix would probably turn around and head back South again sometime today.

Sure enough an hour later Felix stopped on a large snow covered hill, I hung back behind him, on a taller hill, in the trees. He was looking out over a very small village in the distance. There probably weren't more than 30 houses there. The people that did live there had to be crazy. It was too damn cold for humans here. I was covered in fur and could actually feel the biting cold. He stood gazing off in the distance for a short while, then turned east and took off. He was moving relativly slowly for a vampire. 20 minutes later his head jerked to the south, his nostrils flared. He'd caught a scent. He crouched low and began moving south deeper into the forest. I followed behind him. Suddenly he turned on me and bared his teeth, a fierce snarl ripping from his body. I instictivly growled back, standing to my full height. He gave me no chance for negotiating, he gave me no choice but to kill. He attacked me quickly, he was a good fighter. I felt myself being flung into a nearby tree, felt my ribs crack. I felt the kicks to my body, I felt it when he broke my leg and my arm. Noone else was phased, I couldn't call for help, they wouldn't make it in time anyhow. Mustering all the courage and strength I had left I flipped him off of my mangled body and closed my teeth around his head, breaking it off in one bite, I could feel the darkness of unconciousness creeping up on me as I dismembered him. The last thing I remembered before slipping under was a faint scent getting closer to me. It was a scent that had been seared into my memory 10 years ago. _Nessie._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Shifter

Renesmee POV

I was out for my nightly stroll in the woods, as I liked to call it. Nightly Recon mission was more like it. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary so far, just the usual..howling wolves, gusting wind, owls...blah blah blah. But suddenly, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up, I could hear fierce growling off in the distance, not far from my home. I picked up speed and headed that direction. The snarls only got louder the closer I got. I stopped a few hundred feet away, unaware of what exactly I was seeing. A giant red wolf was being pulvarized by a vampire. Then suddenly the wolf flipped him over and bit off his head. I stood shocked as the wolf tore the vampire limb from limb, leaving the pieces twitching on the snow covered forest floor. My mother had told me of shape shifters, but I had never seen one in person. Suddenly, as if by magic the wolf shivered down to take the form of a human man. He lay in a pile on the ground, broken and bloody. Without thinking I ran to him. I stopped quickly to light a small fire, whoever this vampire was, he was too close for comfort. I threw the limbs into the flames one by one, watching as they turned to ash, then I turned towards the man on the ground. I stooped down and easily lifted him into my arms, holding him like a baby. Good thing I have half vampire strength. I carried him quickly through the snow to my small cabin. I opened the door to the never used spare bedroom and put him softly on the bed. I went about quickly lighting a fire in the fire place near the bed and covering him up with a thick blanket. I reached for my satelite phone and scrolled down to my grandfather's number. I wasn't supposed to call unless there was an emergency. I wasn't sure why, but I couldn't let this man die. There was something familiar and comforting about him. Perhaps this was my mothers long lost best friend, Jacob Black. She had told me stories of him when I was younger, until my father had made her stop. I remember the feelings of contentment when she spoke of him. I had that feeling now, only different somehow.

Carlisle picked up on the first ring. "Renesmee? What's happened?" He said quickly.

"I'm sorry to call Grandpa, but there's a shifter here, he's hurt, I'm not sure what to do."

"A shifter? Are you certain Renesmee?"

"I saw him kill a vampire Grandpa, I saw him turn back into a man."

"What vampire? Did you recognize him?" he said worried.

"No, maybe it's just a coincidence?"

"Possibly, where are you?" he asked.

"Are you sure it's safe to talk?" I asked.

"Yes, your father is in Florida, he's tracking your mother." he said with a hint of anger.

"I'm in Alaska, a cabin 40 miles southeast of Barrow." I said quietly.

"I'll find you Renesmee, give me a few hours." then he hung up.

I paced around in front of the fireplace for a while. My mind going a million different directions. I finally got a bowl of warm water and a rag and went to clean up the mystery man in my spare bedroom. His wounds seemed to be healing already as I washed and cleaned them, bandaging those that were still open and oozing. A short while later I could hear footsteps approaching quickly outside. My breath held, my heart stopped, and I hoped and prayed that it was Carlisle and not _him. _

"Renesmee?" Carlisle called quietly. I sighed in reliefe and went to the door to let him in. To my surprise Emmett and Jasper where with him as well. They greeted me with a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"What are you doing here?" I asked Emmett as he spun me around the small living room.

"It's safe to come right now, and we thought it might be helpfull."

"Noone's watching you anymore?" I asked doubtfully.

"Noone followed us pumpkin. I can promise you that." Jasper said, ruffling my hair as if I was still a child.

"Where is he?" Carlisle asked.

"Spare bedroom. First door on the left." I said following behind him as he walked through my house. We all gathered around the bed.

"Jake." Emmett said softly.

"He looks awfull" Jasper added.

"You know him?" I asked.

"It's Jacob Black." Carlisle said. "An old friend."

"Mom used to tell me about him...before dad stopped her." I said quietly.

"There is still much you don't know Renesmee, but first I must see to Jacob. There are some broken bones I need to reset." Carlisle said as he examined him.

"Jasper I could use your help. Emmett take Renesmee and do a quick patrol, I want to make sure there's noone else out there." Carlisle added.

Emmett took my hand and led me outside, grabbing a huge parka and helping me shrug into it. I don't feel cold like a normal person, but even for me Northern Alaska was a little much. We patroled outside for a while, I took him to the clearing in the woods where I had found Jacob. The fire had died, smoldering quietly now, we kicked the snow over it and covered it as best as we could, then we turned and headed back to the house.

"Emmett, what was Carlisle talking about? There's still stuff I don't know about Jake and all that?"

"I'm not sure I'm the one to tell you all that kiddo. I don't even know the whole story." He said.

"Ya know, I'm not a 'kiddo' anymore right?" I asked.

"Yeah, I know" he said, pulling me into his side "You've had to grow up too quickly."

"Mmmhmm" I agreed, nuzzling my face into his chest. It was so nice being near family again. I was alone so often now, I had been alone for so long, it was comforting to be close to someone again.

" I could easily kill your dad for doing this you know." Emmett said quietly.

"I can't help but agree with you on that." I said, looking down at the ground. "I hate him for all of this."

I kicked the snow as I walked. "He ruined everything!"

"Yes he did." Emmett agreed. "I should never have listened to your mom, I should have killed him when I had the chance. It would have saved everyone a lot of pain."

"Mom had to realize for herself that dad's been gone a long time, he's not the same man she married." I looked up at the stars. "You know he's tracking her Florida?"

"Yeah, Carlisle told us on the way up." he shook his head. "I can't believe he's doing this. He was the best of us all. So strong. He wouldn't have hurt your mother for anything. What happened to him?"

"It's my fault Emmett. He didn't change until I came along." I said sadly.

He stopped then and pulled me into a hug.

"No Renesmee, it's not your fault. None of this is your fault. It's all Edward! He's doing this! Not you!" I felt myself falling apart there in my uncles arms. I couldn't stop the tears from flooding my eyes, or the sobs from escaping my mouth. I simply let it happen, knowing that Emmetts strong arms would hold me upright.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6: Revelations

Renesmee POV

Emmett and I slowly made our way back to my small cabin. His shirt was wet and sticky with my tears, but he kept his arm around me. I should have felt bad for loosing it like I had, but he didn't seem to mind much. I had been alone for so long, alone and scared. I didn't want them to leave me again. The thought of spending another night in fear was too much to handle.

"Do you have to leave soon?" I asked quietly.

He looked down at me, brushing his lips to the top of my head. "Probably so kiddo. As much as I don't want to, we have to for now. Hopefully we can stay a few days at least this time."

" Do you think this will ever be over?" I desperately wanted him to say yes. He simply shook his head. "Never can tell baby girl," he turned me around to face him, "but I promise that the next time I have the chance, I'll finish this myself." It should have scared me, he was basically telling me that he would kill my father if he had the chance, I should have told him not to do that, but I was essentially a selfish person. I wanted my father dead. I wanted him gone from this world, he would never hurt us again. He would never come after me again. All I could do was nod.

"I wish there was another way Emmett." I said, hanging my head. They were brothers after all, we were all family, and if ending my fathers life was the only solution, we would all suffer.

"I know Renesmee, but we've tried everything else. He's too far gone now." He grabbed my hand and hauled me up the porch. This discussion was over.

An hour later Carlisle and Jasper emerged from the bedroom.

"He should heal correctly now." Carlisle said. "He's still unconscious, for how long I don't know. I haven't given him any morphine, I'd like to speak to him when he wakes up."

"I wonder if he knows what's going on?" Jasper asked.

"How could he? He's heard nothing from us for over 10 years." Carlisle said.

"Was it just a coincidence then? That he showed up here of all places?" Emmett asked.

"It's possible" Carlisle said with a sigh "anything is possible at this point."

"How long will you stay?" I asked hesitantly.

Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett each looked at me. "I don't know Renesmee, as long as we need to, we must make sure Jacob is okay, we should fill him in on the situation, perhaps he and his pack could help."

"Why would he help us?" I asked. "I mean I know he was mom's friend a long time ago, but they haven't spoken in years, he kills vampires after all, what reason would he have for helping any of us?" They all exchanged a guarded look. They were keeping something from me.

"What aren't you telling me?" I asked.

"Renesmee, I'm not sure if it is our place to tell you this," Carlisle began. I raised my hand to silence him.

"No secrets Grandpa, I can't handle that right now, I need to know what is going on. I don't care if it's your place or not, you need to tell me." I stood up, standing my ground.

Jasper nodded his head at me. "Sit down Renesmee." I climbed onto the soft sofa and curled up into the corner. "What all has your mother told you? About Jacob? About the past?"

I thought back. I didn't know much about anything.

"I know that she and Jacob were best friends, that they pretty much grew up together. She used to tell me stories about him, about how he was a shifter and all that. I don't know much else, Dad always stopped her before she got too far I guess."

"There was a time, when Jacob was in love with your mother." Carlisle began. "She was with your father at the time of course, but he left her briefly. She and Jacob became very close, he fell in love with her, fought for her, begged her to choose him over Edward, but she couldn't get over your father. Edward eventually came back and she took him back with open arms, no questions asked. Jacob was outraged of course, but he didn't give up on your mother. Bella made the decision to become one of us, and they announced their wedding. Jacob disappeared. He didn't show up until the wedding. He was still hurting, but your mother and father left for their honeymoon." He took a breath and looked longingly into the fireplace. "Your mother became pregnant with you and they came back home immediately after they found out. Sam, another shifter on the reservation, wanted to attack us, but Jacob stopped them. He broke off from the pack and came to warn us. He stayed by your mothers side, longing for her, scared for her. None of us knew what to expect, her pregnancy progressed at a startling rate. She seemed to always need Jacob around, much to your fathers dismay I might add. Jacob and your mother just weren't complete unless they were together."

"Did she love him back?" I interrupted.

"I think in a way that she did, but it's more than that, I'll get to it." Carlisle said, he turned to Jasper. "Why don't you explain imprinting, I'm going to go check on Jacob."

I felt my brow furrow. _Imprinting?_

Jasper moved to seat next to me and sat down. "Imprinting is how the shifters find their perfect match. Sometimes it's love at first sight, other times it's different. One of the shifters in Jacobs pack imprinted on a child. He felt only the need to keep her safe and happy. Those feeling wouldn't change until she was ready for them. Do you understand?"

I nodded my head. It sounded a little creepy to me, finding your soul mate as a child.

"The day you were born Jacob Black imprinted on you." Jasper said quietly.

_What the hell? _I felt myself draw a deep breath. _What does that mean? _

"I can feel your confusion. It's understandable, it's a lot to process." Jasper said.

"So what happened then?" I asked.

"Your father didn't take it too well, but Jake couldn't help it, at all. The first time he saw you, he was yours. You owned his heart and soul from the day you were born. The two of you were inseparable those first few days. Once your mother was changed, she was angry at first, but she accepted it. We all did. Jacob had been a good friend to us, a trusted ally. Four days after your birth, Jacob left you for the first time to go speak with his father and the rest of the shifters. Alice had a vision of the Volturi coming after you, we had to leave immediately. Bella wanted to go and get Jacob, but your father convinced her that it would be better for everyone if he stayed behind. He promised your mother that when you were safe again, we would send word to Jacob and he could come be with you again. He lied."

"You all just left then? You didn't tell Jacob any of this?" I asked astonished. My family would never do something so cold.

"Your father left a note." Jasper said, obviously ashamed. "While we all cared for Jacob, we wanted you to have a somewhat normal life. We wanted you to have a choice in all of this. We didn't understand imprinting at all. It's all about your choice, but you would've chosen Jacob. He would have been your best friend. You don't' know how sorry we all are that we went along with Edwards plan. Had any of us known that it would turn out like this, we would have contacted Jacob a long time ago."

I turned to face the fire. _Another lie from my father. How could he have done such a thing? Did_ _he know he was lying? Did he ever plan on contacting Jacob? How could he do that to my mother?_ I shook my head.

"So that's what this is all about then? That's why he wanted to marry me off to Nahuel? So I wouldn't be with Jacob?" I asked.

"That's my guess kiddo" Emmett said from the corner. Carlisle had entered the room and perched on the arm chair across from me.

"I thought that your father had gotten over his hatred of Jacob. I'm not sure if he planned this all the day that we left Forks or not. Your father only got more and more protective of you as the years went on, perhaps he fully intended at the time, to call Jacob, or to go back to Forks." Carlisle said.

"This makes no sense." I said flabbergasted. "Even if I had known this Jacob my entire life" I said gesturing towards the bedroom "Who is to say that I would have fallen in love with him? Who is to say that I wouldn't have found someone else to make me happy? I can't believe my father did all of this for such a stupid reason."

"He didn't want you to feel forced into being with Jacob perhaps?" Carlisle said.

"But he could force me to marry that creep from Brazil?" I screeched. I only thought I hated my father before this night, I seriously loathed the man now. Lies, lies and more lies. My entire life I had been lied to, kept under his thumb and lied to.

"Your father has always felt that he knew what was best for others." Carlisle said.

"Don't you dare defend him!" I screamed. "No more! No more excuses for him!" I paced back in forth in front of the small fireplace. It felt like my blood was boiling. "My entire life, he's lied to me! Do you realize that before 3 years ago I had never been ANYWHERE without my father! I wasn't allowed to go to school, to go to the mall, to leave my own house without him! Don't defend him! He's a monster! His heart is NOT in the right place! He does NOT mean well! He's a controlling lunatic!" I was seething then. Wringing my hands together in front of me to keep from breaking something.

"We are all to blame Renesmee," Jasper said hanging his head. "We should have known that he was getting too possessive of you."

"How could you have known Jasper? My father wouldn't live near any of you! I saw all of you maybe 3 times a year! He kept me and my mother prisoner! She's the only one that could have done anything!" I gasped. She could have done something. _Why didn't she?_ "Why didn't she ever do anything to stop him? Why didn't she ever stick up for me? For herself?"

"Bella loves your father very much." Carlisle said.

"So much that she could just sit back and allow all of this to happen?" I asked with ice in my voice.

"She's the one that got you out, remember that Renesmee." Carlisle chided me. I took a deep breath, letting loose on my grandpa wouldn't help right now. I needed to calm down somehow. I glanced over at Jasper. He was obviously feeling my rage, his hands were gripping the sofa so tight that his fingers were digging holes in the red fabric.

"Jasper, can you help me please." I asked. He smiled up at me and soon I felt a wave of calm roll over me, I easily surrendered myself to it. After a few minutes I felt my eyelids growing heavy.

"Get some sleep kiddo" Emmett said as he carried me to my bedroom. He laid me down on my bed, tucked me in and kissed my forehead. "We aren't going anywhere tonight, get a good nights sleep"

I closed my eyes, glad that Jasper was still sending calm my way. There was too much to think about. Too much anger. Too much fear. All the secrets were out now. My father was a certifiable lunatic, an asshole, a lying piece of shit...and I had a soul mate...sleeping right down the hall.


	8. Authors Note

Authors Note:

I've gotten quite a few messages asking when and if I'll update this story, the answer is yes I will update, I've just been really busy! My husband is getting ready to deploy in a few weeks and I've been trying to get everything together and spend as much time with family as possible. Hopefully I will get my head on straight in the next few weeks and get an update for ya'll. Thanks so much for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8: Beautiful

Jacob POV

**You're my peace of mind in this crazy world,**

**You're everything I've tried to find; your love is a pearl.**

**You're my Mona Lisa; you're my rainbow skies,**

**And my only prayer is that you realize**

**You'll always be beautiful in my eyes.**

**"Beautiful in my Eyes" Joshua Kadison**

I remembered the scent, the beautiful scent of my Nessie. Strange that I would find it here, in the middle of nowhere Alaska. Maybe it was my imagination playing tricks on me. I was pretty banged up, a concussion maybe? There were sounds all around me, I heard twigs breaking, fire crackling, I smelled the sulfurous smoke of a vampire burning. I must be dreaming. Dying even? I then felt warm arms wrap around me, strange that I would feel warmth. Maybe I'm bleeding to death? I could feel the snow falling on my bare skin; feel the icy wind hitting me in the face. Cold. I felt cold for the first time in years. Except for the parts of my body that were pressed up against the warmth of whoever was carrying me. I was still assaulted with her scent, stronger than I remembered riper maybe? It didn't matter that I was hallucinating. Right now, regardless of the pain I was feeling, regardless of being stuck in the darkness of my own head, I was at peace with that smell. I would gladly spend the rest of my life unconscious like this, only smelling her sweet scent, spring rain and honeysuckle. Then suddenly I was being laid on a soft bed, the scent disappeared almost completely, simply lingering in the air around me. I let the darkness take me, and slipped off into what I assumed was death.

I woke up in a warm bed, surrounded by thick quilts. I could smell a fire; I could hear the low murmur of voices from another room. I could feel the pain; my entire body felt like it had been pummeled. I tried to open my heavy eyelids, but they felt as if they weighed a ton each. I tried to focus on the voices, but I couldn't make them out. _Maybe I have brain damage?_ My hearing wasn't what it should be at all. I moved my arms, or tried to that is, they were heavily bandaged. Someone had patched me up. Just then the scent hit me, vampire! I focused on the scent..._Carlisle, Jasper, Emmett? _ _What are they doing here?_ I opened my mouth, trying to call out, but it wouldn't work at all. It was almost like I was paralyzed. I tried to kick my feet, those were immobile as well. A few short minutes later, I was finally able to open my eyelids slightly. Yellow sunshine flitted through the deep red curtains on the window. I was in a cabin of some sort; the door to the room I was in was slightly ajar. I tried again to open my mouth "Hello" I croaked out, it was barely audible, but I knew they would hear me. I heard their footsteps coming towards me. The door opened widely and I saw Carlisle step into the room.

"Hello Jacob." he said quietly, coming over and sitting on the bed next to me. He reached for my hand, taking my pulse and running a cold hand over my forehead.

"What's going on Carlisle?" I asked, my voice still sounded like sand paper.

"Do you know the vampire you were after Jacob? It's very important that we know who it was."

"His name was Felix...a friend of Edwards I gathered." I said, a little more clearly this time.

"Felix? Are you sure Jacob? Did you hear anything else, any other names?" It was Jasper this time; he had appeared suddenly at the foot of the bed. I closed my eyes, tried to make my brain work, tried to remember correctly. "Caius and Aro...I heard him mention them too, something about them searching for someone in Europe I think." My throat felt like shit and I began coughing roughly. Emmett appeared then with a tall glass of water. I took it greedily. Carlisle helped me sit up; I was wincing the entire time.

"How bad am I?" I asked.

"Remember the newborns?" Carlisle asked. I only nodded. "Not quite as bad as then" He said with a smirk. _Thank God for that._

"What are you doing here?" I asked after gulping down the water.

"Renesmee called me after she found you in the forest." He answered.

I sat up straighter. "Renesmee is here?" I asked, I could hear the hope in my voice.

Carlisle nodded at me "She's sleeping now." _Where is everyone__ else? How did she get me here all by herself? What's going on with Edward?_

"He's confused" Jasper said quietly.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions Jacob, we'll answer as many as possible." Carlisle said.

"Where is everyone?" I asked.

"Alice and Jasper have been in Chicago, Emmett and Rosalie in Minnesota, Esme and I in Denali, and Renesmee has been here. Bella and Edward are in Florida right now."

"Why are you not all together anymore? And how could you leave a 10 year old out here all alone?" I asked, clenching my fists.

"We're not together anymore because we can't be right now...and I assure you she is no normal 10 year old."

"Why can't you be together? Stop tip toeing around Carlisle. What the fuck is going on?" I snarled.

"When we left Forks we were all under the impression that we would return when Renesmee was safe. Edward changed his mind though. We went to Maine as soon as we left and took care of the problem. Some vampires were wary of Renesmee, but we met with them and settled it. I was sure we would be going back to Forks, but Edward took Bella and Renesmee and went to live in South America. He told us it was for the best, to protect her. We only saw them a few times a year after that. Renesmee, as you remember no doubt, didn't grow at a normal pace. She was full grown by the age of 7."

_Full grown? A woman? Impossible! She's still just a child!_

"Edward had told us over the years that he would take Renesmee back to Forks when she was old enough. It turned out to be a lie, he arranged for her to be married to another half-human he met while in the Amazon. He brought home her fiancé on her 7th birthday. Of course she was horrified, as was Bella. She refused to marry Nahuel. Edward didn't handle it well. The altercation became physical." Carlisle shook his head in shame. I could feel the rage simmering under the surface. That bastard Edward had laid a hand on Bella...even worse on my Ness..his own daughter. I felt sick to my stomach. "Bella was able to rip him apart and she and Renesemee made a run for it. She called us, we were all still in Maine, we met them at the airport in Dallas. We couldn't stay together. We had to split up, so we did, we all went separate ways, and we didn't tell each other where we were going. We got clean cell phones and kept in contact that way, careful not to say too much in case Edward was listening. He's found us all at one point or another, but we've managed to keep Renesmee from him."

"Felix was looking for her?" I asked.

"Obviously, I can't imagine Edward going to the Volturi about this, but he must be getting desperate." Jasper said.

"The Volturi? The bad guys right?" I asked.

"They're not supposed to be...but yes." Emmett answered.

"Felix said she was being shielded? What does that mean?"

"Bella's gift. She can shield people. Felix had a gift for tracking, but he couldn't get around her shield." Jasper said.

"So is she shielding all of you?" I asked.

"No...That would be too hard. She can keep it around herself and Renesmee, even if they are separated over great distances, she would have to be close to the rest of us for it to work." Carlisle said quietly.

"So Eddie tries to force Nessie to marry some leech, Bella doesn't go for it, rips him apart and runs away with Ness...and he's still trying to find her?" I asked. _Can the guy not take a hint?_

"He hated the fact that you imprinted on her Jacob" Carlisle began. "Over the years it became somewhat of an obsession with him, he and Bella grew apart...his main objective was to protect Renesmee at all costs. He told lie after lie, keeping Bella and all of us really, from knowing his true intentions. He didn't want his daughter forced into a relationship with you; he is so blinded by his hatred that he doesn't even see that he is doing exactly what he is trying to protect her from."

"So he still wants her, he wants to force her to marry this other guy?" I asked.

"I imagine that is still his plan. I don't understand how or why the Volturi are involved though." Emmett said.

"Why haven't you just killed him already?" I asked angrily.

The three hung their heads. "I had the chance once, but Bella wouldn't let me at the time." Emmett answered.

"Why the hell not?" I all but screamed. "He's after her only daughter!"

"She still loved him at the time." Jasper said.

"And now?" I asked.

"I think she may finally be realizing that killing him might be the only way." Carlisle said. "Edward has been tracking Bella for over a year now. If he can get to her, Renesmee won't be shielded. She'll be easy to find."

I felt myself begin to tremble. "He's going to kill her?" I asked. _This isn't happening!_

They didn't answer me, they didn't have to.

"Why? Why would he ever hurt her? Even I can't deny the fact that he loved Bella?" I said.

"Deep down he still loves her, " Carlisle began quietly, "at least that is my hope." He looked off towards the window. "But his mind is focused only on Renesmee right now; he'll stop at nothing to get to her."

There wasn't much left to say after that. Edward had obviously gone crazy. He was after Ness and Bella. The entire family was pretty much torn apart. Worse than that, my imprint, my reason for living, the one that I lived to protect and keep happy, had been living alone and in fear for the last 3 years. I'd never felt so useless. Carlisle said I was healing quickly; I'd probably be back to normal by the morning. It was almost noon now. I had sat in the bed most of the day, simply looking out the window at the massive amounts of snow falling to the ground. I had borrowed Emmett's cell phone and called Seth, letting him know what was going on. Colin, Quill, he and Embry were on their way up now. Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett would have to leave soon, but Nessie would not be unprotected. I would keep a wolf with her at all times from now on. Until this whole mess was sorted out. My stomach was beginning to rumble when I heard a door open somewhere down the hallway. I heard her light footsteps outside of my door; she hesitated momentarily, but then walked quickly past. This probably was hard on her. She didn't remember me, they had told her the whole story now though. What a crap shoot. All these people telling her who she needed to be with. Screw the imprint though; I would never force her to choose me. All I cared about was her happiness. To be honest I couldn't picture my imprint as a grown woman right now. In my mind she should just be a kid, a cute red headed kid with freckles maybe. I heard pots and pans banging around in the kitchen, my stomach began to rumble. I hoped at least one of them could cook worth a damn. I could hear them murmuring in the other room, probably whispering so I couldn't hear them. I just closed my eyes and ignored them. I didn't want to eaves drop. Before I knew it, I was out cold again. I awoke to the sound of her faint footsteps coming down the hall, this time she opened the door just a crack and poked her head in. I wasn't prepared for the gorgeous woman I saw. She had the face of an angel. Her big brown eyes were framed by thick lashes, her skin like creamy alabaster, and her full pink lips, perfectly formed. And all of this perfection, framed by a cloud of dark red curls. I felt myself imprint all over again. I couldn't tear my eyes away from her, even as she blushed a deep crimson and looked at the floor. My only thought was _Beautiful._


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

After a few uncomfortable moments, I was able to tear my gaze from Renesmee.

"Sorry" I said quietly. She lifted her eyes to my face and shrugged her shoulders.

"Its okay" she said as she made her way into the room. Her voice was angelic.

"I made you lunch" she said, blushing deeply again. "Emmett said you'd eat anything. I hope this is okay." She put a tray down in front of me, a bowl of steaming tomato soup and a pile of grilled cheese sandwiches. I chuckled to myself.

"It's perfect...thank you." I said, trying not to get caught up in her again.

"Um...what would you like to drink? I have coffee, soda" she grinned down at me "hot cocoa?"

I smiled widely. "Hot cocoa if it's not too much trouble."

She waved me off "Of course not, I'll be right back with it" She made her way to the bedroom door, but stopped and glanced over her shoulder at me "Marshmallows?" she asked.

I couldn't answer her out loud, so I just nodded. She was so perfect. I stood staring at the empty doorway for a few seconds after she was gone, finally shaking my head and clearing my throat. I picked up the spoon and began eating. The food was ridiculously good. It was probably just canned soup, but it was awesome. The grilled cheese sandwiches reminded me of the kind my mother used to make me...perfectly gooey. The soup was gone and I was down to one sandwich when Nessie returned with two big cups of steaming hot chocolate.

"Wow...hungry much?" she asked giggling. I nodded around my full mouth. Nessie put the mugs on the side table and pulled a red wing chair over next to the bed. Then she sat down, folding her long legs underneath her and reaching for her mug. I finished chewing and grabbed the hot chocolate. I took a steaming sip...delicious.

"This isn't from a packet is it?" I asked.

She smiled around the coffee cup. "Nope..I prefer it homemade."

"Well, uh thank you for lunch. You didn't have to do that." I said.

"No problem." she said, looking down at her lap. "Are you feeling better?"

I sat up a little straighter. "Yeah, much better" I began "Thank you, you know for bringing me here. You saved me."

Nessie blushed deeply again. "You're welcome Jake." She looked out the window then, "More snow. I get so sick of it sometimes." she mused.

I looked out the window as well, the swirling snowflakes falling fast. "Do you, uh do you feel the cold?" I asked. I had no idea how her body worked.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Sometimes, I don't really feel it like a normal human would, but sometimes I get chilled" she looked down at the mug in her hands "Like now, the hot chocolate is warming me up a bit."

We sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. I didn't know where to start. "You make a good grilled cheese, nice and gooey, like my mom used to make them." I said. _Way to make an out of nowhere dumb ass comment Jake!_ She blushed again. "Two kinds of cheese and really thick toast." She said. "Glad you liked them." She turned towards me again. "Are you close to your mom?" She asked. I looked down at my lap. "Um, no not anymore. She died when I was little...I still remember her cooking though." I said with a laugh. She reached out and put her hand on my leg. My breath caught in my throat. It was like an electrical shock only pleasant. She jerked her hand away. _Did she feel that too? _"I'm so sorry Jake. I didn't know." She said her eyes wide and innocent. I just shook my head at her. "It's okay." I said breathlessly, I honestly couldn't remember what she was apologizing for. All I could think of was how wonderful her touch was. She sat back in her chair and began sipping her coco again. "What about you? Are you close to your mom?" I asked. She glanced over at me. "We used to be. When I was young I was close to both my parents." She answered shortly. I saw her as she began to bite on the inside of her lip. "My uncles told you everything?" She asked. I nodded my head at her. "And they told you everything about me?" I asked her. She nodded her head. "I'm sorry for what my family did to you Jacob."

"It's not your fault Nessie." I said.

"Nessie?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"It's what I used to call you, that name of yours is a mouthful." I winked at her. "Does it bother you?"

She shook her head no, smiling at me. "I like it actually." Our eyes met as she looked up and I could feel the tension all around me. I couldn't look away, and it seemed she couldn't either. Finally she blushed and looked away. "Um, so Grandpa says you'll be all better tomorrow. What um, what are you going to do?" She looked back up at me; I could see the fear in her eyes.

"You're not going to be out here alone anymore. Some of pack is on their way here now. One of us will be with you until this is all sorted out." I reached for her hand and it wrapped it in both of mine. "You know about the imprint. It's my job to protect you. I have to keep you safe and happy. Please don't fight me on this." She looked down at my hands. "I wasn't going to fight you Jake; I was just scared that you would be leaving." My heart seemed to double in size. _She was scared of me leaving. _"I can't explain it, it's probably this imprint thing, but I feel safe with you here." She blushed and looked back down. _She needed me. _I couldn't hide the wide smile on my face. "I'm not going anywhere right now Ness, you are my priority." She nodded her head and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear with her free hand. "What are you and your pack going to do?" She asked quietly. I looked deep into her eyes. "We're going to find your dad." I answered simply. "And then?" she asked. I couldn't tell her that we'd kill him. I didn't know what to tell her. "He won't go down without a fight Jacob." She said quietly. "I don't want you to worry about what I'll think. He's been dead to me for 3 years." She looked out the window then, "Rip him apart, burn the pieces,...he needs to die." She said, looking right into my eyes. I locked eyes with hers and nodded my head. "Okay."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

I must have fallen asleep after lunch. I woke up to a darkened room and a dying fire in the fireplace. I instinctively stretched my arms out above my head, halting abruptly when something small and warm slipped from my hand. I turned in the darkness to find Renesmee still sitting in the chair next to the bed, her hand still enclosed in mine. The fiery curls of her hair framed her closed eyes, her mouth open slightly in a small "o". She was the most adorable thing I had ever seen. I was sure that I could sit there for the next 50 years just watching her sleep, but my body had other ideas. The need to pee was getting downright painful. I slowly lifted my hand from hers, trying to be careful not to jostle her awake, but the second her hand hit the bed she awoke with a start.

"Jake!" she gasped. She looked around wildly for a scant second before her eyes settled on me. "Are you okay?"

I smiled at her "I'm fine, just need to pee."

"Oh, okay." She blushed. "I'll um, go get one of the guys to help you." She stood up and pushed the chair back to its place in the corner and headed for the door.

"Ness?" I said quietly.

"Yeah?" she turned around and met my eyes.

"Thanks for staying with me. "

She looked down at the floor for a moment, "No problem, Jake. I was tired too; I didn't get much sleep last night." I nodded at her as she turned and left the room.

A moment later Carlisle was helping me out into the hallway, leading me towards the bathroom. I was surprisingly steady on my feet. Carlisle seemed happy with the progress. Once I was back in bed I turned towards Jasper who was standing by the window.

"One thing is bothering me about all of this." I said.

"Only one thing?" Emmett asked from the doorway.

"Why didn't Alice see any of this coming?" I asked.

Jasper turned towards me and gave a shrug. "Alice's visions have always been erratic. There's no rhyme or reason to them. She theorizes that the reason Edward moved Bella and Renesmee to Brazil was to get away from her visions. It's harder for her to see someone when she doesn't see or speak to them on a regular basis. The longer they stayed away, the fewer visions she had of Edward and Bella, she can't see Renesmee at all. We literally had no warning until Bella called and told us that she had to fight her way away from him."

"And you never once thought to go and check on them? You never thought Edward's behavior was over the edge until Bella called?" I asked with clenched fists. I couldn't disguise the edge of anger to my voice.

"Many times Jacob," Carlisle answered, "more than I can remember. Each time Bella would tell us we were over reacting, that everything was okay, not to worry."

"It was excuse after excuse as to why they never came to visit." Emmett said.

"We all tried many times to schedule times to go and visit them, but there was always something, some reason why it wouldn't work out." Jasper said.

"So Bella was in on all this?" I asked bewildered.

"Bella loved Edward very much." Carlisle said.

"That makes it okay?" I snorted. "She could have stopped this a long time ago, she didn't. That's bullshit."

"Does she deserve to die for it Jacob?" Carlisle snapped. "That is what will happen if Edward gets to her."

"It's just as much her fault as it is Edwards, she should have done something to protect her daughter!" I all but screamed at him.

"Regardless of how some of us feel about what Bella did in the past, she is essential to keeping Renesmee safe at this point." Jasper said. Obviously someone felt the same way I did. "Without her shield, Edward would have gotten to Renesmee long ago."

"We need a game plan." I said.

"I don't know how dangerous this situation may get Jacob." Carlisle began, "you have helped us so much in the past.." I cut him off before he could finish.

"Don't." I said firmly. "Renesmee is my imprint. Her safety is my concern, it's my packs concern. We are going to help and as far as I'm concerned the matter is closed. You should have come to me sooner damnit!"

"We didn't want to involve you; we thought we could handle Edward ourselves." Carlisle said. "We didn't know how happy you would be to find us on your doorstep once again asking for help."

"If it involves Renesmee I'm always in." I said. "Now let's get a plan in place. The first thing is what to do with Nessie. She'll be safer in La Push. I won't leave her here alone and vulnerable."

"If Edward gets wind that the wolves are involved, La Push will be the first place he goes." Jasper said.

"And there's an entire pack of wolves waiting there for him." I said sharply.

"How many wolves?" Emmett asked.

"Eight right now, but if some of you come back to Forks, more will begin to phase." I said.

"And you're okay with that?" Jasper asked.

"A larger pack means a stronger pack. If Edward is working with the Volturi on this, we'll need all the help we can get. Sooner or later, they'll end up looking in La Push, we need to be ready." I answered.

"Alice and I will move back to Forks." Jasper said. "I can help you train any new wolves."

I nodded. "Can the rest of you stay hidden for a few months? Hopefully by then we'll have more wolves and we can go after Edward."

"We've done it for 3 years, what's a few more months?" Emmett said nonchalantly.

"Is there anyone else we can call in for help?" I asked.

"The Denali cousins are already aware of the situation, they would help us. We have a few other nomadic friends we could call in." Carlisle said. "The Volturi being involved doesn't bode well for us though; they are an army unto themselves."

"Then we need a bigger, better army." I stated. "I've got a few ideas." I smirked.


End file.
